By Professor Emmanuel Ojeme
The new administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, that was inaugurated on May 29, 2023, came to power with the governance and development mantra of Renewed Hope.
A curious and reenergising governance framework that seems to aim at oxygenating a nation that has largely lost its centre of gravity and whose development indices were looking downward.
No thanks to the publicly often mentioned abysmal failures of the administration preceding it.
The past government of 2015-2023 was largely perceived by the people of Nigeria as weak.
This was due to the manifest downward slide in key development indices of
(1) economy
(2) security
(3) social infrastructure
(4) education
(5) social inclusivity (nepotism reigned supreme)
(6) human development indices
(7) sports
(8) accountability e.t.c.
There is a new beginning in governance with a renewed hope mantra. Nigerians are once again put in another vehicle known as renewed hope. That is indeed suggesting that in spite of the hisses and frustrations of the past, this renewed hope mantra inspires everyone to gear up and look forward to better life, better governance system that would be aimed at actualizing societal turnaround through good governance.
Sports as a social institution in all its ramifications is inevitably one of the tools for the actualization of the renewed hope mantra of governance. It is expected that government would recognize this fact in its development policies and operational modalities. How can sports be relevant to the renewed hope in nation building?
Sports contributes to;
Education
Economy
Youth empowerment
Recreation, leisure and tourism
Social integration and inclusivity
International diplomacy
Health of citizens
Global visibility of the nation
Poverty alleviation
Amelioration of youth restiveness
Industrialisation and manufacturing
Modelling of the sociology of good governance.
The potency of sports to energize the actualisation of these outcomes in the renewed hope mantra makes it mandatory for government to;
Reform its sports governance system, ensuring that professionalisation of sports institutions, organisations and personnel is key policy objective
Clarify the vision for sports development and harmonise it with the renewed hope mantra
Prioritise the development and revitalisation of sports facilities and personnel
Invest effectively in athletes development, welfare, sports programmes and personnel
Ensure systematic and regular assessment of organisational performance.
The task of nation building is the sole purpose of governance and all eyes are on this new administration and its renewed hope mantra.
This article has attempted to draw the attention of the government and people to the viability of sports as a social institution and partner in the renewed hope of nation building endeavour. Much could be achieved if sports is properly mobilized to play a part. Is the government ready to take advantage of the power of sports in its drive to rebuild Nigeria through the renewed hope programme?
Written by Professor Emmanuel Ojeme,
EMAIL:successojeme@yahoo.com
